1. Understanding Nationalism
Dr. Krisztina Lajosi
@KrisztinaLajosi

2. Nations, states, peoples, identities, citizenship

3. Multiple national identities and citizenships

4. Discussion points
1. What is nationalism? 2. Historical emergence of nationalism (studies) 3. Various types of (approaches to) nationalism 4. National consciousness, national identity 5. Nationalism vs. patriotism 6. Nationalism today

5. What is nationalism?
“Nationalism is a doctrine invented in Europe at the beginning of the nineteenth century. It pretends to supply a criterion for the determination of the unit of population proper to enjoy a government exclusively its own.” (Elie Kedourie: Nationalism, 1960)
“Nationalism is primarily a political principle, which holds that the political and the national unit should be congruent.” (Ernest Gellner: Nations and Nationalism, 1983)
The nation “is an imagined political community – and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign.” (Benedict Anderson: Imagined Communities, 1983)
“The national phenomenon cannot be adequately investigated without careful attention to the ‘invention of tradition’.” (Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger: The Invention of Tradition, 1983)
“Nationalism, far from being an intermittent mood in established nations, is the endemic condition.” (Michael Billig: Banal Nationalism, 1995)

6. Father figures of nationalism studies
Elie Kedourie ( )
Ernest Gellner ( )
Benedict Anderson ( )
Eric Hobsbawm ( )

7. Non-European Nationalism Scholars
Nira Yuval-Davis (1943)
gender and nationhood
Partha Chattarjee (1947)
- (de)colonization and nationalism

8. Nationalism studies vs. Methodological nationalism
Critical Nationalism Studies
- reflects on the constructed nature of nationhood
- contests the nation as a political and cultural category
- considers the national as part of the global
Methodological Nationalism
- accepts the nation as a given historical category
- sees the nation/state as a given and often as a natural and universal unit

9. Two opposing approaches to nationalism/nationhood
Essentialism
Constructivism

10. Major paradigms of nationalism
Primordialism an essentialist way of looking at nations, based on:
A. a sociobiological approach
and
B. cultural rootedness
claims that nationality is a natural feature of humans (like smell, sight, or language) and has existed since the beginning of time;
has gained a negative reputation (fixity, essentialism, finalism).
Perennialism nations (at least some nations) have always existed, but have changed throughout history;
nations are not considered as natural, organic, or primordial;
emphasis on continuity.
Modernism - nations are the result of processes of modernization and industrialization, urbanization, and capitalism;
- there is nothing inherently natural or essential about nations;
- Gellner, Anderson, and Hobsbawm are all “modernists.”

11. Nationalism claims that …
nations are natural and universal
nations are perennial (enduring and continually recurring)
every nation should have its own state
nations are sovereign
national boundaries and political/territorial borders should be congruent
loyalty to the nation comes first

12. Nationalists aim to establish …
nation-state
national autonomy
national
unity
identity

13. How old are the European nations? https://youtu.be/YN0pGphqRS0?t=62

14. Conceptual confusions
nation
state
people
country
race

15. What is a nation?
a nation is a community of people with a common culture (and usually language), sharing a sense of collective identity and belonging, and pursuing political self-determination (but not necessarily statehood) and autonomy within a certain territory.
a nation is bigger than an ethnic group, and is usually the result of a fusion of various cultural communities (ethnic groups, language communities, tribes) who share a will to have a common culture and political future together.

16. Ethnic groups or ethnies
Ethnic groups have
a common proper name to identify the group;
a myth of common ancestry and kinship;
shared historical memories; shared memories of a common past including heroes, important events, etc.;
one or more elements of common culture including a common language, religion, customs, etc.;
a link with a real or mythical land, a symbolic attachment to a homeland or ancestral land; and
a sense of belonging to the same community and solidarity towards the other members of the same group.
(John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith, Ethnicity, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009, 6-7.)

17. Nation vs. State
Nation
- people with a common cultural and historical consciousness and a sense of belonging
- Emotional & cultural (& political) bonds
State
- Independent political entity with clearly defined borders and legal status
- Political, legal, social & cultural institutions

18. Not all nations have their own state

19. Multiethnic states and nations
ethnic group 3
ethnic group 1
ethnic group 2

20. From nationality to nation-state
Populace inhabiting a certain territory
Ethnic groups
people
communities with a sense of belonging and common cultural & historical consciousness
Social, cultural & political category
nation
Political and geographical category
Sovereign political entity
Product of 19th-century nationalism
nation-state

21. Two main types of nationalisms: ethnic & civic
Ethnic nationalism
Civic nationalism

22. Cultural homogeneity

23. Civic and ethnic nationalism are often intertwined

24. National consciousness / National identity
culture
emotions
myth
history

25. Identity construction by othering
Identity/sameness
selfhood
Otherness/alterity
othering

26. nationalism / patriotism / populism
Nationalism –» loyalty to and love of the nation / the national community; positive feelings towards the nation; competitive in nature; (“My nation first.”)
Patriotism –» loyalty to the country; territorial loyalty; positive feelings toward the country; not necessarily competitive;
Populism –» loyalty to the people; “the pure people” vs. “corrupt elite”; politics should represent “the will of the people”
(Mudde and Kaltwasser: Populism, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017);
Patriotism and nationalism – share the same logic, motivation, and symbolism;
Populism can be nationalist, but not necessarily; nationalism can be populist, but also not necessarily, since nationalism can also be élite-driven and élite-focused;

27. Nationalism today Revolves around the issues of: Sovereignty
Solidarity
Sustainability
Migration
Globalization
Economy
Welfare state
Sub-state nationalism
Image by Paresh Nath, The Khaleej Times, UAE

28. Beyond the Fringe (1961) – from 5’14 min to 6’08 “Commentary on America – What is America?”

29. Sources of the images:
Slide Nationalism.htm Slide and and and guha Slide and Slide Slide 9 – Slide Slide Slide and Slide A4FDD0B33D09} Slide

30. THANK YOU! Any questions?